w6csn’s outdoor amateur radio

This post is about activating Richardson East Benchmark for Summits On The Air as well as Golden Gate National Recreation Area for Parks On The Air.

The route taken today was the same as on a previous hike up to Richardson Benchmark. Please allow me to refer you to that blog post for hike and location details.

While previously I’d done the hike alone, this time one of my lovely daughters joined me for the adventure.

Originally the plan was to start on 10 meters, but I was too knackered from the hike up to bother setting up the antenna and QMX. This is where the KH1 shines, it can easily be deployed while sitting, which I did by tossing counterpoise out in front of me and pulling out the built-in whip.

My hiking companion agreed to log for me as I called out the chasers’ call signs and states. Instead of just writing down what I heard in my headphones, I had to say it out loud while still copying. But then, of course, I had to remember what I’d said or steal a look at the logbook.

Eventually, I was on my feet again, toward the end of the activation. Just this small height increase above ground raised the noise level noticeably.

With 10 QSOs on 14.061 MHz this was an quick SOTA activation as well as a complete POTA as Richardson Benchmark is well within the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area US-0647.

The weather around the summit was changing and fairly inhospitable, so we skedaddled after 10 QSOs. No point hanging around in the cold.

73 de W6CSN